Means for tagging fabric and wear apparel for identification purposes have been developed for years. U.S. Pat. No. 1,930,634, dated Oct. 17, 1933 and issued to S. Weiss discloses a metallic piece that is attached to buttons or buttonholes for tagging fabrics. A more modern approach to tagging disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,187, issued on May 19, 1992 to T. R. Branch employs a bar-coded ticket for attachment to laundry items, which is similarly attached to the selected article by threading and securing its adhesively attachable ends through buttonholes. The bar-code is scanned into a computer, which in turn controls a machine for selecting and sorting like items. By requiring holes through which the tag is fastened to the fabric or apparel, both these inventions avoid the need to staple the tags so that the operator does not get hurt or the fabric is not damaged when the tags are removed from the fabric after laundry and prior to usage.
Identifying socks belonging to specific pairs from a jumbled assortment of socks, such as after laundry within the familial unit, poses a significant challenge. Where the socks are made from similar fabric and are of dark and closely contrasting colors, it is particularly difficult to distinguish between them. With multiple members in the family unit, the difficulty increases because of the need to establish ownership of the socks, especially these days when socks are marketed in "one size fits all." The problem is compounded where there are more than one pair of socks of a given color. Unless means exists to identify socks constituting like pairs, the socks can be mismatched as to ownership, color, or original pairing. Usually, the mismatch is discovered when the wearer is in situations that can cause great embarrassment.
Various devices and means have been invented over the years to address sock sorting and matching. U.S. Pat. No. 2,785,413, issued Mar. 19, 1957 to T. K. Kook avoids the identification problem by fastening a plurality of pairs of socks along a single strip so that they stay together as pairs during laundry. Socks thus fastened can invariably break loose or, in the alternative, get wrapped about other laundry pieces, causing damage to delicate garments and great inconvenience to the operator in separating the laundry items after a washing or drying cycle. Means to fasten pairs of socks to each other during laundering are generally not preferred because of the potential for entanglements and damage to the attached fabric. Furthermore, because of the constricted access, it becomes very difficult for the socks to be cleaned in the regions where the fastening means are attached.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,938, issued Apr. 5, 1988 to B. R. Anderson teaches, as an alternative, means for identifying socks of given color and original pairing through the use of words and symbols knitted into a portion of the sock. The word, e.g. Blue, describes the color of the sock, and the symbol, e.g. square or triangle, identifies the socks comprising the original pair. Because the word or the symbol must be knitted into the fabric, this invention is beyond the individual consumer and must be implemented as part of the sock manufacturing process. It also does not provide the means to sort socks that are separated in color or design in only subtle ways. A similar approach to sock identification is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,984, issued Jan. 20, 1998 to M. M. Shofner. The dominant color of the sock is identified by a symbol, numeral, or the distinctive color of a thread stitched or embroidered into a portion of the sock, such as the toe seam, that is covered by the shoe. This too places the burden on the sock manufacturing process and limits the options available to the consumer since he would need to track which socks of which design were bought by all members in the family to avoid confusion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,809 dated Nov. 29, 1994 issued to E. B. Ross attaches single piece devices to socks by folding them over the edges of the socks thereby capturing within them portions of the sock walls as the devices snap shut with the male ends penetrating the sock walls and fastened to their other respectively adaptable female ends. The devices are provided in pairs with similar indicia comprising color, letter, or number for matching like pairs of socks. Device colors may be used to establish ownership. The device is limited in that it can only be applied at near the edge of the sock fabric thereby allowing only a minimum of material to prevent tear and damage from any pull on the device. The indicia disclosed provide limited identification ability, being unable to identify or differentiate between socks of different colors.
Devices that may be attached to any portions of the socks, capturing portions' of the sock walls between them, have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,635 issued Oct. 25, 1994 to R. E. Smith and U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,510 issued Nov. 21, 1995 to J. Hartzell. The Smith two-piece device attaches to the sock wall by capturing it between a rigid clamping element and one that is resilient. Because the device elements do not penetrate the sock wall they distort the sock wall at the point of attachment. Further, since the locking disc is resilient, it is likely that under the stress, turbulence, and heat circumstances encountered during repeated use, washing, and drying, the locking disc could distort and effect a release of the device. The disclosed invention limits the number of sock pairs that can be matched to twenty-five and provides no guidance to the owner of more than that number of sock pairs. A serious limitation of the disclosed device is that it makes no provision for variations in the sock wall thickness. Thus, while it may obtain adequate clamping for the designed sock wall thickness, it may be unable to be used with a sock wall thickness that deviates from it. The device numerical indicia are minimally disclosed and provide no means to establish ownership of the sock to which the device is attached.
Hartzell discloses a four-piece device that penetrates the sock wall and color codes the four pieces to facilitate identification of ownership as well as the color scheme of the sock by mixing the colors of the different pieces used in assembling the device' for tagging the sock. The use of four pieces complicates the device design and use. For example, 80 different pieces are required to tag ten pairs of socks. Where color differentiation is required, the number of pieces needs to be further increased to achieve the color scheme disclosed, which employs ten basic colors. This complicates the manufacturing and packaging requirements for the device, thus increasing its cost, and also places great demands on the consumer who has to use it. The frictional attachment means employed to keep the four pieces fastened together to the sock wall presents a serious limitation. The male piece pierces the sock wall and frictionally attaches to a second piece with a female opening on the other side, which captures the remaining two pieces on the other side of the sock wall. The frictional forces are likely to be overcome with usage resulting in the device separating from the sock.